Probably from the motor itself ? No idea.. my mom's 4.0's vents smell like that and using lysol worked for a few months then it came back and lysol didnt work again... I have no idea what is causing that nasty shoe smell..

The most likely cause of the nasty smell to begin with is a clogged AC drain line with stagnant water sitting in the HVAC box . Read the below post which includes a real good link/video for fixing this.

There's also a good post following mine by coralman. But I'd be real careful about blindly sticking anything up in where the AC evaporator is. When I replaced my evaporator it sits in a styrofoam cradle which was falling apart. Had to glue it back together since couldn't find a replacement. You don't want to break the tip of this cradle up in fishing around in there because that's where the condensation water drains. Good luck.

96 4.0 ZJ Laredo, 2004 4.7L WJ Limited, 96 4.0 XJ (son's)

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The most likely cause of the nasty smell to begin with is a clogged AC drain line with stagnant water sitting in the HVAC box . Read the below post which includes a real good link/video for fixing this.

There's also a good post following mine by coralman. But I'd be real careful about blindly sticking anything up in where the AC evaporator is. When I replaced my evaporator it sits in a styrofoam gradle which was falling apart. Had to glue it back together since couldn't find a replacement. You don't want to break the tip of this cradle up in fishing around in there because that's where the condensation water drains. Good luck.

THIS has been a HUGE help

Thank you ALOT looks like my dash isnt going back in today lol more on the list of stuff to do

Thank you ALOT looks like my dash isnt going back in today lol more on the list of stuff to do

YW and glad the info helps. Don't know how far you're going to get into the AC system/box but they do make some coil cleaners which don't need rinsing. Maybe this lemon scent one would cover up the wet dog smell? LOL.

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Could a clogged drain, also cause the A/C to not cool properly ? But also not leak inside the Jeep ? Cause my Jeep doesnt leak water inside.. the A/C is fully charged and the compressor works but the air is like semi cold and takes forever to get cool... That and it has that nasty shoe smell..

Could a clogged drain, also cause the A/C to not cool properly ? But also not leak inside the Jeep ? Cause my Jeep doesnt leak water inside.. the A/C is fully charged and the compressor works but the air is like semi cold and takes forever to get cool... That and it has that nasty shoe smell..

Unlike the 5.9 which gets cold like instantly and doesnt stink

Actually Candymancan when my drain line was almost completely clogged it never did leak water into the inside of my 96 on the passenger floor. And when my evaporator finally failed/leaked 134 the fins were half covered by nasty dirt and mold. So I would venture to say if your evaporator is clogged on the outside it would affect the cooling of your AC system. Much like if your rad is half clogged the engine is going to overheat but maybe not to the same extreme.

Saw this on a website (repairpal.com) and may help explain it:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Air Conditioning Evaporator

The evaporator receives the very cold refrigerant gas as it is expanding from its liquid state. The cold evaporator absorbs heat from the air passing across it and the cooled air blows into the passenger compartment through the vents on your dashboard.

Symptoms of Wear or Failure

Weak cool air from system (or no cold air at all)
Strange odor when using the heat or the AC

Related Repair Advice

It is difficult to detect leaks in the AC evaporator because it's located in the heater/AC case behind the vehicle’s dashboard
An AC evaporator will need to be replaced if it fails a leak check. To verify if an evaporator is leaking, it may be necessary to partially or totally remove the dashboard.
We recommend replacing the AC accumulator or drier when the AC evaporator is replaced. The accumulator acts as a moisture and debris filter for the AC system and a new part will keep the repaired system clean.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Can't say for sure this is your problem but if your 98 AC housing is similar to a 93-96 it sure wouldn't hurt to drill a hole for cleaning out the drain line if it is. Below is TSB 24-06-96.

This is a TSB number from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. And good luck finding out exactly what this is since every website wanted you to pay/subscribe. Then went into the www.nhtsa.gov site to try and hunt the TSB down. I put the brakes on when I saw $45/hour for searching things out and the gov't is here to help!

96 4.0 ZJ Laredo, 2004 4.7L WJ Limited, 96 4.0 XJ (son's)

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yes, i see the date of this topic, and yes i did quite a few hours of search about this whole story...
yet another zj with the dead-stuff-kind-of-smell coming from the vents.
tried to spray anti-mold down the vents, drilled the hole in the plastic thing and cleaned that pretty good but it still smells like hell... gf made me stop the car cause she almost threw up. -_-'

now call me stupid, but i just cant take the massive plastic box under the dash out. took away the "wood" trim, then the ashtray, then the left lower portion of the trim and then the glove box and the piece it comes with. so far so good.

took away then all of the screws in front of the black box, if i try to force it apart i can see kinda like a radiator in it but cant find any more screws that should be undone to completely dissasembly the whole thing.
does anybody happen to have a few pics to point me better on how to take that apart? idk, may be im just frustrated with the whole thing and not seeing what i need in front of my own nose, but i just....cant...find...more screws...

yes, i see the date of this topic, and yes i did quite a few hours of search about this whole story...
yet another zj with the dead-stuff-kind-of-smell coming from the vents.
tried to spray anti-mold down the vents, drilled the hole in the plastic thing and cleaned that pretty good but it still smells like hell... gf made me stop the car cause she almost threw up. -_-'

now call me stupid, but i just cant take the massive plastic box under the dash out. took away the "wood" trim, then the ashtray, then the left lower portion of the trim and then the glove box and the piece it comes with. so far so good.

took away then all of the screws in front of the black box, if i try to force it apart i can see kinda like a radiator in it but cant find any more screws that should be undone to completely dissasembly the whole thing.
does anybody happen to have a few pics to point me better on how to take that apart? idk, may be im just frustrated with the whole thing and not seeing what i need in front of my own nose, but i just....cant...find...more screws...

The smell is coming from leaves that are making it passed the grating under the wiper cowl.
I found mice had eaten though the grating and made a nest of leaves acorns and hood foam.
Take the fan motor out, and tape a piece of garden hose to a shop vac then suck out all the nasty in there. Then spray it with your favorite disinfectant.
I also made a new grating out of stainless steel gutter guard. The mice don't like chewing on that stuff. It's been good for 3 yrs. now.